The Amana AZF33X16DW is an upright freezer. It has a capacity of 16 cubic feet and storage shelves rather than restrictive drawers that some of the best freezers offer. Alternatively, if you want a fridge and freezer in one, check out our guides to the best side-by-side refrigerators and the best French door refrigerators.
When you open the door, this Amana upright freezer uses incandescent lighting rather than LED lighting. Incandescent lighting is warmer, but it generates more greenhouse gas emissions than LEDs. However, it has other features that help conserve energy.
Amana AZF33X16DW: Features
This Amana upright freezer has advanced foam insulation, which is designed to improve its energy performance. According to the manufacturer, the insulation lowers this freezer's global warming potential by 99.9 percent. We don’t know how that number is measured or have any way to test that claim, but any energy conservation is good. This freezer has an estimated annual operation cost of $56, which is about average for freezers in our buying guide.
This upright freezer also comes with an automatic defrost system so you don’t have to worry about defrosting it yourself. This means the interior temperature rises when the freezer senses there is built-up ice that needs to be melted. This is a great convenience feature, but it can lead to a higher incidence of freezer burn. You can guard against freezer burn by wrapping food tightly.
This frost-free freezer doesn’t have a reversible door. Models with reversible doors are particularly versatile, as you can orient the door hinge to open to the left or the right, according to the layout of your kitchen, garage, or basement. It does, however, have adjustable shelves, letting you customize the interior to fit your storage needs. Amana has also added door bins, which give you plenty of room to store items you want easy access to, like frozen dinners.
There is no alarm to notify you if the door is left open or not shut tightly, so you will need to make sure the door stays shut. This Amana freezer also lacks a power-on indicator light to let you know that the freezer is functioning. If the light turned off, you would know there was a problem, which could result in you saving a lot of food. One design flaw with this freezer is the temperature controls are on the inside of the appliance, so you will lose some cold air and energy when adjusting the freezer's temperature.
The deep-freeze option allows you to freeze foods at temperatures reaching minus 8 degrees Fahrenheit. This ensures that foods like ice cream and meat stay frozen, locking in freshness and flavor. It can also reduce the potential for freezer burn. Freezer burn can happen as the result of fluctuating temperatures that go too high. You can also activate a fast-freeze feature that rapidly drops the temperature to its lowest setting. This is a nice feature if you have ice cream that sat in the car a bit too long on the way home from the store.
Should you buy the Amana AZF33X16DW?
This Amana upright freezer offers plenty of space and a clean design. It lacks a reversible door for increased placement versatility. Convenience features like exterior temperature controls, a power indicator light and a door-open alert are also missing, and can be found in alternative models such as the GE FUF14DLRWW and the Electrolux All Freezer. However, this freezer does have a fast-freeze function and auto defrost, so you won’t have to worry about defrosting it manually.
